Eltayeb Dawelbait (Sudanese, born 1968)
The Spirit of Advertising, 2014
Signed ‘Eltayeb (verso top)
Mixed media
179 x 72 x 20cm
Ksh 550,000-650,000
US$ 6,250-7,385
Sold Ksh 587,000
Provenance: direct from artist
Eltayeb studied at the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Sudan. His studies were interrupted when he was dismissed for political activities and he spent the following years living a nomadic existence in exile, struggling to make a living and continue his artistic practice. For the last 15 years Eltayeb has been living in Nairobi and is renowned for his inventive use of materials.
Eltayeb has exhibited widely including a solo show at TAD Gallery in Rome in 2003 and a group show at Ensign Gallery in London in 2004. He exhibited at the Toronto Art Fair in 2006 and Monaco Art Fair in 2010. In 2013, he completed a large commission for PwC Towers in Nairobi and was part of a group exhibition in Madrid at the Gazzambo Gallery.
Here, Eltayeb has begun to explore the symbols and iconography that are used in product advertising. He says he has been, “catching on to this spirit of marketing and advertising and all the business transactions that go on every day.” His latest work is inspired by roadside advertising in Kenya and the resourceful ways in which people network.